Corrugated board boxes have long been used for packing and shipping almost any type of product or material. These corrugated board boxes are relatively inexpensive, lightweight, and have sufficient strength and rigidness. One example of the use of a corrugated board box is the delivery of fluids contained in an impermeable plastic pouch. These fluids include beverages such as soft drink syrup, milk, and water. This arrangement of the fluid pouch in the corrugated board box is known in the soft drink industry as a "bag-in-box."
FIG. 1 shows a prior art blank for a corrugated board box 10 for use with a soft drink syrup "bag-in-box." The soft drink syrup is placed in the impermeable plastic bag 20. The bag 20 is generally a pillow shaped bag with a spout 30 on one end as shown in FIG. 2. The box 10 is constructed by bending the corrugated board 40 along the score lines 50 (the dashed lines) and gluing the respective flaps 60 in place until an open-ended box is formed. The bag 20 is placed within the box 10 and the open flaps 60 are glued together such that the box 10 is sealed. The box 10 is then shipped to the customer.
To access the syrup bag 20, the customer opens a spout flap 70 on the box 10 and reaches in to find the spout 30. The spout flap 70 is defined by a series of perforations 80 in one or more layers of the corrugated board 40. The customer grasps the spout 30 and attaches a line from the customer's dispensing machine (not shown) or otherwise empties the syrup bag 20. The corrugated board box 10 thus provides for ease of shipment and also provides a support container for the syrup bag 20 while the syrup bag 20 is attached to the dispensing machine.
The drawbacks with this known box design are several. First, many customers find the known perforated spout flap 70 difficult to open. Because the spout flap 70 is on the top of the box 10, there is little structure or rigidness at that location for the customer to push down and open the perforations 80. Further, some customers find it difficult to push through the two (2) layers of the corrugated board 40 on the top of the box 10. Customers therefore have used various types of blunt objects to force the perforations 80 open. The use of such blunt objects, however, sometimes results in the perforation of the syrup bag 20.
Second, customers often find it difficult to locate the spout 30 after the spout flap 70 is opened and removed. Due to the nature and design of the typical syrup bag 20, the spout 30 tends to be located near the top corner of the box 10 rather than under the spout flap 70 on the top of the box 10. The customer therefore would search into the box 10 in attempting to find the spout 30. This searching also occasionally resulted in the perforation of the syrup bag 20.
What is needed therefore is a corrugated board box for use with a fluid pouch that is both easy for the customer to open and easy for the customer to use. The box must provide sufficient rigidness to ensure the safe delivery and use of the enclosed pouch while being easy to open without undue force or perforation of the pouch. Further, the box must provide easy access to the pouch and the spout.